Overloading a tank

L

LuHockey2

Premium Member
Is there a rule of thumb on the number of fish you can safely put in a tank? Obviously fish are different sizes, so is there maybe a ratio of tank size to inches of fish that anyone follows? I am asking about a reef tank with refugium if that matters. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Brian
 
Not really no. You need to tailor your livestock load to the filtration capabilities of your system as well as practical space available in your tank. Just like in nature, fish will establish territories and the less room available the more likely you are to have problems. There are just too many variables to present an accurate rule of thumb when stocking fish IMO. It's similar to the "watts per gallon" myth that circulated for a long time; if you have 500 watts of CFL lighting that isn't going to equal one 150watt halide setup. Some people use to use the "inch per gallon" rule with fish, which isn't practical or useful in the least in a similar way to the lighting myth.

It might be more helpful if you presented a list of the fish you were thinking of stocking your tank with so that others with a similar setup can let you know what has worked for them both numbers-wise as well as species, etc.
 
That makes sense, I didnt expect a way to take into account fish with different eating and waste production.

I have a 120 gal reef, 30 gal fuge, Super Skimmer 125, not sure on total lbs of live rock, but its plenty.

Livestock:
1 male lyretail anthias
3 female lyretail anthias
pr onyx clowns
3" regal tang
4" tomini tang
six line wrasse
flame hawk
coral beauty
18" zebra eel
2 green chromis
4" foxface

I am looking to add a few more fish, thinking of a Purple Tang, Green Mandarin, small wrasse of some kind. I have no current problem with everyone getting along and I have no problem keeping the water parameters in check. Would this seem ok to add 1 or 2 more fish?

Thanks, Brian
 
I would think the wrasse and mandarin would be fine. It might be pushing a bit adding another tang IMO.
 
what type of skimmer are you going to run as that is pretty high bioload a coralife 125 is not enough skimmer for a high bioload.
 
i think you can get away with couple of more fish, if your skimmer not up there then you just have to do religious water change. i have 19 fish in my 72 but the bioload is getting up there. i m planing to get 2 more fish since my sump is 40 gallon and my remote refugium is 40 gallons.
 
Thanks for all the info, I am thinking of upgrading on the skimmer. I do however do religious water changes. I think that is why I have never, knock on wood, a major water quality problem.

Brian
 
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